Showing 20 articles starting at article 661
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Biology: Molecular, Biology: Zoology
Published Low-Temperature Plasma used to remove E. coli from hydroponically grown crops



In a new study, a team sterilized a hydroponic nutrient solution using low-temperature plasma generated from electricity and the oxygen in the atmosphere. This new sterilization technique may allow farmers to grow crops without the use of chemical pesticides, representing an important advance in agricultural technology for sustainable crop production.
Published New discovery shows how cells defend themselves during stressful situations



A recent study has unveiled an exciting discovery about how our cells defend themselves during stressful situations. The research shows that a tiny modification in the genetic material, called ac4C, acts as a crucial defender, helping cells create protective storage units known as stress granules. These stress granules safeguard important genetic instructions when the cell is facing challenges. The new findings could help shed light on relevant molecular pathways that could be targeted in disease.
Published Extinctions could result as fish change foraging behavior in response to rising temperatures



Fish species respond to temperature increases by going after more readily available prey. Models suggest this behavior could lead to more extinctions.
Published Scientists use blue-green algae as a surrogate mother for 'meat-like' proteins



Researchers have not only succeeded in using blue-green algae as a surrogate mother for a new protein -- they have even coaxed the microalgae to produce 'meat fiber-like' protein strands. The achievement may be the key to sustainable foods that have both the 'right' texture and require minimal processing.
Published Microbial comics: RNA as a common language, presented in extracellular speech-bubbles



Decoding the conversations between microbes of hypersaline environments reveals deep insights into the origins of complex life.
Published Human stem cells coaxed to mimic the very early central nervous system



The first stem cell culture method that produces a full model of the early stages of the human central nervous system has been developed by a team of engineers and biologists.
Published Cutting-edge 'protein lawnmower' created



Scientists have designed the first synthetic protein-based motor which harnesses biological reactions to fuel and propel itself. 'Imagine if a Roomba could be powered only by the dirt it picks up,' says one of the authors of the study. The motor uses the digestive enzyme trypsin to cut the peptides and convert them into the energy it needs to propel itself.
Published Birds and bee lessons as Pacific field trips also solve 'Michener's mystery'



Eight new Pacific bee species and new insights into Fijian bird behaviour on Viti Levu Island have been described in new scientific studies. The research highlights the potential for species discovery, ecological and conservation knowledge and cultural engagement from Asia-Pacific research collaborations.
Published Predatory fish use rapid color changes to coordinate attacks



Striped marlin are some of the fastest animals on the planet and one of the ocean's top predators. When hunting in groups, individual marlin will take turns attacking schools of prey fish one at a time. Now a new study helps to explain how they might coordinate this turn-taking style of attack on their prey to avoid injuring each other. The key, according to the new work, is rapid color changes.
Published The small intestine adapt its size according to nutrient intake



Resizing of the intestine is a highly conserved strategy employed by a wide range of organisms to cope with fluctuation in nutrient availability. Nevertheless, very little is known about the mechanisms and signals underlying nutrient-mediated gut resizing. New research has identified one of the signaling pathways implicated in this process.
Published Biomolecular condensates -- regulatory hubs for plant iron supply



Iron is a micronutrient for plants. Biologists now show that regulatory proteins for iron uptake behave particularly dynamically in the cell nucleus when the cells are exposed to blue light -- an important signal for plant growth. They found that the initially homogeneously distributed proteins relocated together into 'biomolecular condensates' in the cell nucleus shortly after this exposure.
Published Ribosomes: Molecular wedge assists recycling



Researchers reveal how cells regenerate protein factories at endoplasmic reticulum.
Published Neurobiology: How bats distinguish different sounds



Bats live in a world of sounds. They use vocalizations both to communicate with their conspecifics and for navigation. For the latter, they emit sounds in the ultrasonic range, which echo and enable them to create an 'image' of their surroundings. Neuroscientists have now discovered how Seba's short-tailed bat, a species native to South America, manages to filter out important signals from ambient sound and especially to distinguish between echolocation and communication calls.
Published Killer instinct drove evolution of mammals' predatory ancestors



The evolutionary success of the first large predators on land was driven by their need to improve as killers, researchers suggest.
Published Compound vital for all life likely played a role in life's origin



A chemical compound essential to all living things has been synthesized in a lab in conditions that could have occurred on early Earth, suggesting it played a role at the outset of life.
Published Snakes do it faster, better: How a group of scaly, legless lizards hit the evolutionary jackpot



More than 100 million years ago, the ancestors of the first snakes were small lizards that lived alongside other small, nondescript lizards in the shadow of the dinosaurs.
Published Metabolic diseases may be driven by gut microbiome, loss of ovarian hormones



Mice that received fecal implants from donors that had their ovaries removed gained more fat mass and had greater expression of liver genes associated with inflammation, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis. The findings may shed light on the greater incidence of metabolic dysfunction in postmenopausal women.
Published Damage to cell membranes causes cell aging



Researchers have discovered that damage to the cell membrane promotes cellular senescence, or cell aging.
Published Scientists can tell where a mouse is looking and located based on its neural activity



Researchers have paired a deep learning model with experimental data to 'decode' mouse neural activity. Using the method, they can accurately determine where a mouse is located within an open environment and which direction it is facing, just by looking at its neural firing patterns. Being able to decode neural activity could provide insight into the function and behavior of individual neurons or even entire brain regions.
Published Modeling tree masting



The effects of a phenomenon called tree masting on ecosystems and food webs can be better understood thanks to new theoretical models validated by real world observations.